Duplicity casts Clive Owen and Julia Roberts as Ray and Claire, a pair of former spies who decide to put their subversive skills to work within the world of corporate espionage after years of serving their respective countries. The characters’ desire to quit the lifestyle for good, coupled with their genuine love for one another, eventually leads them to a skirmish between two powerful CEOs embroiled in an ongoing (and increasingly vicious) feud. The bulk of the movie subsequently revolves around Ray and Claire’s surreptitious efforts to outsmart their bosses, and each other.

After making his directorial debut to almost unanimous acclaim in 2007 with the George Clooney drama Michael Clayton (for which he received two Oscar nominations), Tony Gilroy deftly avoids the sophomore slump with an effort that’s just as deliciously intricate and consistently engaging as his first feature. Gilroy’s comfort behind the camera is clear right from the brilliantly conceived opening credits, which quickly gives way to a storyline with an unapologetic complexity that effectively keeps the viewer on his toes right through to the memorable final shot. In addition to the superb acting from such supporting figures as Tom Wilkinson, Paul Giamatti and Thomas McCarthy, Duplicity boasts absolutely mesmerizing work from Clive Owen and Julia Roberts. Roberts, in particular, gives a charismatic and downright engrossing performance that’s as strong as anything she’s done in recent years.

Duplicity ultimately comes off as nothing less than a breath of fresh air amid a movie season rife with bleak horror films, hopelessly juvenile comedies and bloated superhero epics. Gilroy has infused the proceedings with a refreshingly adult sensibility that essentially demands a certain amount of concentration from the viewer. Although the conman genre does tend to produce more misses than hits -- the upcoming Brothers Bloom remains a fairly good example of what not to do with such a movie -- Duplicity is full of twists and turns that are destined to blindside even the most astute of viewers.

There’s little doubt that Gilroy deserves credit for putting his characters through the most unexpected of paces, complete with an ending that’s impossible to see coming. It’s consequently easy enough to overlook the absence of superficial elements designed to appeal to men (the PG-13 rating means that there’s no nudity, violence or even swearing). Duplicity remains an uncommonly intelligent endeavor that ultimately feels like a reward for sitting through the last few months’ relentless stream of irredeemable dreck.